Guardiola blames Porter for All-Star tackles

MLS All-Stars coach Caleb Porter did not do enough to stop his players from making reckless tackles on Wednesday, according to Pep Guardiola.

Bayern Munich’s boss was incensed by a couple of tackles in the second half of the match in Portland, with Osvaldo Alonso and Will Johnson clattering into Xherdan Shaqiri and Bastian Schweinsteiger respectively.

Guardiola was seen shouting at Porter a number of times, while the Spaniard refused to shake hands with the Portland Timbers coach after the exhibition match, before unleashing a verbal volley at the referee.

Speaking after the game, which the All-Stars won 2-1, Guardiola claimed he did not shake hands with Porter because he did not see him.

But the former Barcelona coach was seen wagging his finger in a dismissive manner at Porter as the All-Stars boss approached Guardiola.

“I didn’t see him,” Guardiola said at his post-match media conference, according to USA Today.

“We tried to respect the rules of the game…I appreciate the effort of my players.

“It’s not my job to be concerned with their tackles.

“That is another person’s job. I don’t know if he did it.”

Porter had admitted before the game that Guardiola was one of his “idols” and the 39-year-old American coach did appear disappointed by his opposite number’s antics.

But after the game, Porter attempted to down-play Guardiola’s reaction.

“That was such a small part of tonight,” he said.

“There’s really no reason for me to talk about it. Coaches get heated…like I said, there was so much good to talk about that there’s no reason to make that a story.”